Prompt: Father
by Ngoc Chau
Summary: Nemu knows that there were others before, and to not to ask about it. Because she was spared the loss of her sisters while her father experienced it seven times over. Kurotsuchi Mayuri, alone, carries the penance of his lost children. Slight Mayuri x Nemu


**Ngoc Chau does not own Bleach**

**So this was something I wanted to write for a while, but it turned out differently than how I wanted it to be. Aw well, hopefully it turned out well.**

* * *

><p><strong>Prompt: Father<strong>

_It is not up to Kurotsuchi Mayuri to let others see him compassionate. He will show them his compassion and they will spit on it for they cannot recognize compassion in any other form but the one they read in romances and tales. His compassion lies rarely for his alliance with the Gotei 13, but always for his daughter: the only being he is sure that he is ever to know who would not betray(else that would lead to her own self-destruction) him. Alas, she is not the first of his children._

* * *

><p>The first had come many many years before her and was his first trial at what could be done with false soul and false body technology in the Soul Society. Few years after the exile of Urahara Kisuke and his own inauguration as the new Captain of the Twelfth, he had set out to create. As his exiled ex-captain had done with false bodies, he had thought to expand upon the idea. Once figuring out designs and plans, he was left with a choice to whether or not he wanted 'son' or 'daughter'.<p>

"Daughter. Definitely." was his response to that and he quickly became started on constructing the reigai that would house this daughter's soul.

Why daughter? Why not son? Sons grew with ambition, daughters did not. What was he to do if his son, the Frankenstein-like being, was to realize his own potential and overthrow his creator? Never, while there was a breath of life in his body, would Mayuri chance upon a son. Daughters had their greater uses, and though delicate, he saw more advantages in having a daughter than a son. Besides, it would not do to have people discussing why he should choose to create a boy rather than a girl; some people obviously kept their minds in the gutter.

He ventured to use his blood as a basis for the substance of physical body because of personal experience. Using his bankai for the first time as captain had resulted in about twenty shinigami deaths who were not so lucky to not be able to receive an antidote from him in time. Their deaths' could've been prevented if they had had the same immunities that he had from his own poisons. Alas, he would not compromise the toxicity of his poisons with its abilities of preventing victims from developing antibodies and imunities from the poison.

And so this encouraged him to construct his first 'daughter' with his blood, all the more to tie her closer to him. The first, Nemu was the name that a few of the scientists had picked for him, had proved to be fine for what she was: a first try. He did not dare to look at the plans that his ex-captain had left behind for false bodies, but endured countless sleepless nights to create his own plans without the crutch of Urahara Kisuke.

Between work and his duties as the Captain of the Twelfth and Chief of the SDRI; within three years, she was 'born' and although her size was that of a young adolescent female, she was exceptionally strong. He made her for function first rather that something appealing to the eye. Typically Japanese, her hair was black and cut like a nun's, brown eyes in the middle of her face. Although he was a captain, he found himself already uncomfortable when his creation had first called him father. There was nothing wrong with it, but with the appearances of their ages, they looked more like brother and sister.

He did not want to be considered old already, especially when other shinigami's were having children not much younger than him. He could not have her call him so casually by his name but because he did create her, the suffix of -sama was added to his name. The augustness of the situation was something new to him, yet it seemed to suit the circumstances.

He found her useful as an assistant and she added some life to the labs. Unfortunately, she had no spiritual powers and so could not count as a shinigami but as a 'legal soul'. So she did not have to go to the academy and was kept in labs.

The ten years he kept her, she had never been allowed to see a hollow save for them as specimens in his work. But she was not so weak-kneed against them. All was impressed by her for she was new. She was polite and soft-spoken, and she often showed great concern for him. He found his shell breaking around her and quite enjoyed her.

However there was one thing about her he had overlooked. Her end had come as a blow to him when he discovered at a most inopportune time that her body could not withstand the spiritual pressure of shinigami in battle. He was beyond humiliated that even the support of his scientists could not ease the ache in his gut about it.

He could not believe that he had overlooked his ex-captain's plans! He had laughed when he first saw them, but realized that although the plans had been exceedingly plain, there was reason for it because Urahara had made the false bodies strong enough to withstand even a captain's battle aura.

Begrudgingly, he was condemned to look at his ex-captain's plans for _reference_.

* * *

><p>The second, named Nemu once more because he thought it a well name, was constructed using Urahara's plans as the basis. Not really his very own, but regretfully shared with his ex-captain. He thought it rather queer but he intended to make the best of it.<p>

Mayuri ruefully thought her to be better than his last design because it even appeared that Urahara's plans made her physical construction look more appealing. Again in the form of a young adolescent girl resembled her predecessor not only by looks, but by countenance. He took care of her well, tried to improve her; but it seemed not to be.

While the design of her was great, it was soon too much and the body disappeared only after a number of years. She had lasted longer than her predecessor.

Self-combustion, he had ruled it.

The only consolation was that he had gained a greater understanding of false souls from the number of years he had spent with her.

* * *

><p>Nemu the third was utterly his, his own plans and his own comprehension of false bodies. She did not differ from her late sisters, except that she followed him around everywhere. Endearing though it was, he found it often difficult to how she depended on him so extremely. Still, he made sure no one took advantage of her and enjoyed what little accomplishments she did.<p>

But this achievement with a body that could stand and even boast a great amount of spiritual pressure to be worthy of lieutenant class at the very least, he was desolate that although his efforts to construct such a false body was commendable, he had not taken mach thought to the soul. She was nice and he cared for her some, but he was useless in battling Hollows, no better than a sensitive human with considerable strength. He knew it was inevitable and despite his many modifications to her, he knew that there was nothing to do but hope that perhaps the extra features to her body would protect her before the end of her.

Not particularly the most attractive like his second nor memorable as his first, he was sadder for her the most.

There are no words to describe the pain of someone who knew that they could do nothing more to protect that which was valuable to them.

Her end came when she fell to a curse of a Hollow and was devoured. Her match was a hollow that could conjure up little versions of itself. Again, her life was longer than her sisters combined.

While it introduced him to a new form of loss, he thought it the best: a new chance for a new reconstruction. His plans for the body was laid down, now what was left was to focus upon the soul. His daughters' souls before were the typical for false souls. But they hardly had any more personality. He did not have any need for personality and reserved it for later.

* * *

><p>The next Nemu was an experiment as his first, but for some strange reason he did not found himself attached to premier as he did the recent. Her spells were as well as a novice and again she met her end with a hollow who could split itself in two and absorb anything it touched. He mourned her some and found his grief to be remedied by continuously working.<p>

* * *

><p>The Fifth and Sixth Nemu were hardly remarkable from each other but they represented his simultaneous accomplishment in soul and body.<p>

His design for a false being had ameliorated to a degree that Nemu's body could endure greater pains and injuries than the average shinigami being close to be considered indestructible, that also she had developed a great amount of spiritual power of her own accord. She did not differ from the typical shinigami save for the fact that she had no zanpakuto.

Again, they could not fight as shinigami, but it did not stop them from dying the way that shinigami died.

He had regarded both daughters especially and secretly mourned them when both lost their lives against Hollows.

All of his losses were private and he never expressed them in front of others for he did not like others to even assume for a moment that he was going 'soft'. If ever he showed weakness, they would be on him like wild starving dogs on a piece of raw meat.

It was an understatement that he had had too little years with each and every one of them.

* * *

><p><em>Septima<em> was in a class different from _Prima_, though he still thought fondly back upon his first - you could never forget about your first.

She was a little bit older than her sisters had been, but only because he saw that as he was getting older, she ought to be getting older too to suit his age. Though he already began looking and feeling like father at his fifth daughter, he was still so used to all those years before of young daughters calling him by name, that he did not want to stray away from that habit.

She was the first of his series of daughters to show the potential at wielding a zanpakuto. Becoming a little vain, he constructed her to be very beautiful for even he began appreciating the aesthetic in his age.  
>Her legs were all the more slender, her hair was longer, and her proportions all the more mature. He was indeed very proud of her. She knew what to do without him telling her every step of the way and she was proficient in the shinigami arts that he was obligated to send her off to the academy before he could let her resume her work in the Gotei 13. She graduated six years upon entering with some honours. They were all impressed with her but more so with him, for she was to them only a false being and his countenance towards her reminded them that she was a creation of a mad scientist. Now, if only she could've achieved shikai, then it would be satisfactory.<p>

He had worried that she would be the first of his daughters to die as a shinigami. His fears were for the time unfounded for she proved to be more capable at slicing down Hollows more than five times her size and weight.

But it was not enough. It simply was not enough.  
>Again, to make up for the lack of shikai, he fitted her body with as many modifications as he could. One of his favourites was making her skin able to withstand great explosions; she would plant his special bombs on her prey and keep ahold to make sure they the bomb would do as much damage as possible, once it detonated everything in its path would be nothing but soft little bits while she would get away with only a few scrapes and an arm almost torn off now and again. Limbs were always easy to take care of.<p>

He had favoured this daughter and kept her with him. If only she had achieved shikai then it would be great proof of his genius and he would make her his lieutenant, he often lamented.

Affection was not only on his side, for whatever affection he had for her, she returned it with greater measure and enthusiasm. He knew it by the way that she always did whatever she could to covet his attention, the way that she became upset whenever any female, particularly Unohana, took him away from her. She did what she could to please him and always sought his approval in everything she did. Whatever she did was in his name he was very pleased with his new daughter for she proved herself to be the most satisfactory both in abilities and as a product than her late sisters.

But all things have their end.

He did not expect her to die this way.

It was a simple collection of a Quincy soul.

She had expressed great interest in fetching the soul for him. He was reluctant to let her go without him; but he supposed that it would be good, that she could handle herself. He was stunned at later news when the shinigami accompanying her had returned with her hair cut and the news that there had been more than one Quincy present at the Hollow attack.

The only thing he had been able to say, to mask his disbelief that his daughter was gone was, "What about their souls?"

They had gotten them, there had been four of them.

He laughed maniacally, the sound of it chilling even to his own ears; he had given up his prized daughter for a family of Quincies.

There was a great amount of years between Nemu and the newest one. One after the other he had constructed them, but after the seventh…. It took some time to get over her death, and then even longer to work on programming the soul just right to achieve similar results and to improve it.

It seemed that afterward everyone but him had forgotten about his 'daughters' since whenever the company papers went around, they would ask, "Who's Nemu?"

* * *

><p>His eighth daughter was born on a stormy night, resembling her elder sister save for her long hair which he considered his favourite addition and her green eyes. He was not so quick to show her off as he did the others, but kept her under only his watch for a while. There was a new phenomena with her that had not occurred with the others: it was a strange empathy forged between the two of them that he could often tell when she was happy or tired or scared. It had frightened him too but he lied to the both of them that the fear was coming off from her and she willingly believed it.<p>

So much like her sisters, but there was something else different about her.

He soon introduced her and it was as though his experiments with the others had been forgotten. But she did display more potential, that was for certain. As his daughter before her, she too possessed characteristics to be a shinigami. He sent her off to the Academy and she graduated within six years.

With her, he was constantly reminded of his latest loss. But not because of their resemblance to another, but because of their differences. She was not so eager to covet his attentions nor she was so expressive in her feelings. She was very passive, quiet, and shy. Despite the innate curiosity, she was still prudent to never impose. He supposed it was his fault. She saw him at a point where he was older, bitterer…

He raised her as he did the other girls and her sister was still constantly on his mind until the day she outshone who had been considered his greatest achievement in false soul and false body technology. That was the day she showed him her shikai: Kuri Akutareguchi(Crimson humiliation).  
>It had an absolutely delightful trick: to take the abuse inflicted upon her body and whatever attack her zanpakuto blocked and return it to the attacker by two-fold!<p>

What an accomplishment, to create a soul that could properly wield a zanpakuto and learn its name as well!

* * *

><p><em>He finds his days filled with Nemu, she is a treasure to him. <em>

_He could definitely ask for more, but he would rather stay with her and improve her further to meet his growing standards. But some days when he looks at Nemu, he thinks back to her sisters: fallen ones. And he feels the greatest shame of what he could've done further for them but could not. _  
><em>He remembers them not as a scientist, reliving great chagrin that there was so much more he could've done for his experiments but couldn't; he remembers them as a father, recalling great tragedy. He knows that Nemu only understands that there were others before her, and she knows it better to not ask about it. Because she was spared the loss of her sisters while her father experienced it seven times over. <em>

_Kurotsuchi Mayuri, alone, carries the penance of his lost children. _

_And in his own way, he will assuredly do what he must for the daughter he strived to have._

* * *

><p><strong>So... what did you think?<strong>


End file.
